LATEST NEWS

GAULT &MILLAU MAGAZINE TASTES 2010 VINTAGE

“Château Fonplégade 2010: 18,5/20
Remarkable! A delightful wine with vibrant mineral stress paired with a deliciously mouthwatering fruit. The texture is very elegant, ranging from peony to sherry stone. Salty, gourmet, cheerful, its evolution is dazzling. ”

“Fleur de Fonplégade 2010: 17,5/20
Expressive nose, fruit forward (blackcurrent, red current, blackberry, blueberry) and backed by spicy notes. In mouth: softness, fruit, broadness and balanced freshness. Long finish.”

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CHATEAU FONPLEGADE 2008: 93/100 BY THE BRAZILIAN PRESS!

The Brazilian food magazine “PRAZERES DA MESA” gave a tasting mark of 93/100 to Château Fonplégade 2008. Please find underneath the tasting comment:
“A great wine that shows all the potential of Merlot, which represents 91%  of its blend, the rest being composed by Cabernet Franc for 7% and Sauvignon for 2%. Good body structure, backed by soft tannins, well made, with a long finish and a great deal of elegance. A forefront Bordeaux.”

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APRIL, 8th: SUD OUEST NEWSPAPER PUBLISHES AN ARTICLE ON FUTURES KICKOFF

Upon the Futures 2012 week, Sud-ouest newspaper published an article about the work done by Château Fonplégade team to give birth to a new Vintage. Please click on the following link to read the article:
http://www.sudouest.fr/2013/04/08/les-bebes-naissent-aussi-dans-les-chais-1017775-713.php

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THE ASSOCIATION OF ST EMILION GREAT CLASSIFIED GROWTHS GATHERED AT FONPLEGADE

The General Assembly of the Association of Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growths took place on March, 22nd, 2013 at the Orangerie of Château Fonplégade.

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MARCH CLUB RELEASE

In March, we had the pleasure to welcome Club de Vin Members in small groups for a friendly cheese and wine tasting. This was the occasion to collect their March Release, which included Château Fonplégade and Le Petit Enclos.

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MARCH 20TH, 2013: COMMANDERIE DE MANDEL - BELGIUM

Château Fonplégade honored at the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the “Commanderie de Mandel” in Roeselare, Belgium.

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MARCH 13TH, 2013: WINE AND BUSINESS CLUB IN LILLE

Château Fonplégade was the « Wine » guest of the Wine and Business Club in Lille on Wednesday, 13th of March at the Hôtel Gantois in Lille. The “Business” guest was Frank Lanoux, CEO of BFM TV and RMC Info. On the picture: Jean-Christophe Meyrou and Frédéric Clipet, president of the Wine and Business Club in Lille.

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QUINTESSENCE SMALL BARREL

As a follow up to our partnership with the acclaimed Quintessence cooperage to create the premium “Fleur de Quintessence” barrel, the company presented us with a very special small-format barrel to celebrate our partnership. Small barrels are remarkably difficult to craft, and this one-of-a-kind barrel is equivalent to only 80 bottles. In honor of his 20th harvest, Franck had the idea to fill it  with a blend of the best lots from the 2012 vintage, and present it as a gift to Mrs. & Mr. Adams! Since its arrival, this barrel has been a source of great interest to guests, further enriching our tour experience.

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ROBERT PARKER : CHATEAU FONPLEGADE 2010 RATED 94+ !

“2010 Fonplégade: 94+/100
Concentrated black fruits intermixed with spring flowers, some high class, subtle toasty oak, graphite and a touch of blackberry and cassis all jump from the glass of this dense, full-bodied, formidably endowed, massive wine. It needs a good 5-7 years of cellaring. This could turn out to be one of the longest-lived wines ever made at Fonplégade, lasting 25-30 or more years. This is an absolutely brilliant wine, and probably the best to date from this American-owned Chateau, which has been completely renovated and is now enjoying a resurrection/renaissance in quality. Drink 2018 - 2048.”
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 205 (Feb 2013)

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FEBRUARY, 21ST : CHARITY DINER WITH FAMOUS CHEFS

Château l’Enclos took part in the second edition of the Chef Diner for Charity in Bordeaux. More than 20 famous Chefs regaled 400 guests, sharing their passion for food & wine. We were amongst the winegrowers that worked on devising perfect food & wine combinations. About 30,000€ were raised for the « Restaurant du Cœur Aquitaine » charity that evening.

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FEBRUARY 8TH-10TH: INTERNATIONAL JUMPING - BORDEAUX

At the occasion of the International  Horse Jumping competition held in Bordeaux on February 8th-10th, Château l’Enclos 2010 was presented and tasted on the stand of our wine merchant partner Cordier Mestrezat.

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FEBRUARY, 5TH : FRENCH COMEDIAN VISIT

On February, 5th, we had the pleasure to let discover château Fonplégade to a talented French comedian : le Comte de Bouderbala !

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FEBRUARY 2013: WINE SPECTATOR

James Molesworth, from Wine Spectator, tasted Château L'Enclos 2010 and granted a rating of 91/100 ! An excellent rating from this benchmark magazine.

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MICHEL ROLLAND, NEW CONSULTANT WINEMAKER FOR CHÂTEAU L’ENCLOS!

Since January, Michel Rolland joined the adventure of château l’Enclos as consultant winemaker. The unquestionable king of blending art will bring an exterior technical support as well as new ideas to maintain high quality standards and give the best from the terroir.

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DECEMBER, 19th: CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON

The team of Château Fonplégade and Château l’Enclos gathered around a Christmas lunch at the new restaurant “l’Atelier de Candale”.

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NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ABOUT OUR TOURS

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NEW ARTICLE FROM JEFF LEVE, THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER

Please click on the following link to read the last article from Jeff Leve, THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER, about Château Fonplégade 2012 Vintage: CLICK HERE.
 

Also, you can have a look at Château Fonplégade profile link on the THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: CLICK HERE.

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DECEMBER 2012 : OUR WINTER RECEPTION

On December, 8th, our Club de Vin Members had the chance to meet with M. Garde: local producer of sea lamprey, foie gras and boletus mushroom since 1955. This Winter Reception around local food traditions was a delicious preview of the upcoming holiday season!

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CHATEAU FONPLEGADE 2009: DECANTER HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Of the 435 Bordeaux wines submitted for Decanter panel tastings over the past year, 129 were rated “Highly Recommended” or “Oustanding”.
“Château Fonplégade 2009: Highly Recommended. Opulent aromas of abundant fruit, spice and herb. It has a big, juicy palate with masses of flavor and a broad-based finish. A serious, almost exemplary modern St Emilion. Plenty to enjoy. Drink 2013-2020. 17/20 – (90/100)”

Also, Château Fonplégade is listed as one of the 25 best-value Bordeaux 2012.

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LES RENCONTRES VINICOLES DE LAUSANNE, NOVEMBER 19th

Château Fonplégade and Château L’Enclos participated to the 1st edition of the « Rencontres Vinicoles de Lausanne » on November, 19th. 
This professional trade show features an exclusive tasting of 80 properties or chateaux among the best of their region. This edition was organized with the partnership of the Swiss Association of Sommeliers.

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CHATEAU FONPLEGADE 2009 : 94/100 BY ANDREAS LARSSON

Very inky and bright colour, perfumed with hints of violet, dark cherry, blackberry, cassis and spices, the palate is very dense and concentrated with layers of dark fruit, very powdery tannins that add freshness and length, really nice grip and an extremely long finish, still young and unresolved but with a huge potential. 94/100.
TASTED JOURNAL, Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier of the world 2007

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CHATEAU FONPLEGADE RENOVATION PROJECT

We received the first delivery of trees on November, 16th, as the first step of an ambitious renovation project to further enhance the natural beauty of Château Fonplégade!
Highlights of the new project include remodeling of the gardens, extending the terrace by the tasting room, and improving the parking lot area and access.
Throughout our renovation, we will be open our customary hours, and offering all of our signature experiences.

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PRESS COMMENT ON CHATEAU L’ENCLOS 2010

‘The elegance of merlot, with hints of violet and small fruits (red currant, raspberry), a very beautiful tannic structure and a long and fresh finish. With a rib steak and mushrooms.’

A selection from Alain Marty, president of the Wine & Business Club, published in Direct Matin, October 30th.

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OCTOBER, 18th: HARVEST LUNCHEON AT FONPLEGADE

The owners and the team of Fonplégade and Château l’Enclos celebrated the end of 2012 harvest. This was a way to renew with the local tradition of the “Gerbaude” celebration!

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Terre de Vins magazine organized a tasting at the Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux on October, 25th. 2009 vintage was in honor, from Pomerol and "Cercle Rive Droite“. More than 350 guests could taste Château Fonplégade 2009 !

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The group YPO Mayfair came to spend one evening at Fonplégade

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This year, we waited until October, 5th to harvest only young plots and followed with older plots between October 8th and 12th.

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SEPTEMBER 2012 : OUR AUTUMN RECEPTION

On September, 22nd, our technical team : Eloi, Franck and Stéphane explained to our Club de Vin Members how to select the best grapes to harvest. We also learned during this Reception how to recognize the Merlot grape, the Cabernet Franc grape and the Malbec grape.  

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SEPTEMBER: GUIDE HACHETTE FAVORITE

This is great news for Château Fonplégade 2009: the wine is distinguished as one favorite by French Wine Guidebook “Guide Hachette” in 2013’s edition! The comment tells how they fell in love with our wine and how perfect is the 2009!_____________________________________________________________________

AUGUST, 31ST: TONY PARKER VISITS FONPLEGADE

On the occasion of an exhibition game in Bordeaux, Tony Parker came to enjoy a private tour at Château Fonplégade.

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JULY, 19TH: WAUD WINE CLUB VISIT  

The « Waud Wine Club » stopped at Chateau Fonplegade during their Tour de Vin 2012. We had the pleasure to welcome them on July, 19th. 

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JULY, 17TH: VERTICAL TASTING FOR THE PRESS

We had the honor to welcome five famous journalists for a vertical tasting of Château Fonplégade (Vintages 2004 to 2011) followed by a diner at the Orangerie. Among the guests:  Bernard Burtschy (Le Figaro, l'Avis du Vin), Ian d'Agata, (International Wine Cellar, USA), Peter Moser (Falstaf, Austria), Abi Duhr (Vinomagazine, Belgium), Xiang Gao (WineSpirit, China). We had the pleasure to share this evening with our friends of Château Franc Mayne, Guadet and Destieux, three St Emilion Grand Crus Classés.

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JUNE 2012 : OUR SUMMER RECEPTION

To each season its Reception! On June 23rd, our Club de Vin Members were able to compare our Fleur de Fonplégade Rosé 2010 and 2011, in an idyllic summer poolside setting surrounded by Fonplégade’s vineyard! A quiz around the topic of Rosé also entertained this Summer Reception. 

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EARLY JUNE 2012 : BOTTLING OF 2010 VINTAGE

Bottling time has come for the much acclaimed 2010 vintage. It’s been a treat for our visitors to watch our Winemaker Franck Jugelman gently handling the impressive 18 liters bottles, or “Melchior”, equivalent of 24 regular bottles!

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JUIN 2012 GAULT & MILLAU / PIERRE GUIGUI

CHATEAU FONPLEGADE 2011 : 17/20
C'est la révolution ! Un virage à 190° se confirme. Crémeux et d'un fruité dense avec une matière souple et fraîche. Elégance et charme des arômes sur un merlot bien mûr avec des notes kirschées Souplesse en début de bouche évoluant sur une jolie matière et une belle assise de fraîcheur qui fait ressortir les arômes de cerise noire et de prune cuite

FLEUR DE FONPLÉGADE 16/20
Un vin sexy qui apporte un plaisir savoureux. Le fruit est très juteux sur une structure très gouleyante et tendre. Vive la cerise et la framboise.

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Château Fonplégade is partner to the Festival Philisophia, in St Emilion
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APRIL 2012 : K&L IMPORTER VISIT

The team of the American importer K & L came to taste En Primeurs 2011 of Château Fonplégade and Château l’Enclos, on April, 13th.

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Château Fonplégade presented its Future 2011 at the tasting held at Château Villemaurine, St Emilion.

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On March 24th, our Club de Vin Members could experience the art of blending during the Spring Reception that took place in our winemaking cellars. Future 2011 had pride of place with a game around batches aged in barrels against batches aged in natural cement vats…

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DECEMBER 2011 : NEAL MARTIN/WINE ADVOCATE (ROBERT PARKER)

Chateau l'Enclos 2009: 90 / 100

Tasted at the Syndicat de Pomerol. This has a fine pure bouquet with wild strawberry, raspberry and touches of cedar and truffle in the background. Nice precision. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly coarse, chalky tannins, but good weight towards the tannic, slightly brutish finish. This will need 4-5 years to mellow. Tasted November 2011.

DECEMBER 2011 : OUR WINTER RECEPTION - WINE AND CHEESE TASTING
 

On December 10th, we held our annual winter reception for our wine club members with the special participation of the Jean d'Alos Company, renowned cheese maker and refiner.

SEPTEMBER 2011 : HARVEST LUNCHEON
 

On September 29th, the whole team of Château Fonplégade and Château l'Enclos gathered over a lovely homemade lunch to celebrate the end of the harvest under the sun.

SEPTEMBER 2011 : HARVEST AT CHATEAU FONPLEGADE
 

The hand-picked clusters are being delivered in crates. The berry selection is first made by hand and it goes then on an optical sorting table. This year, the selection of the grapes has been very meticulous at Château Fonplégade.

JULY 2011 : ANTOINE GERBELLE AT CHATEAU FONPLEGADE
 

	Antoine Gerbelle Revue du Vin de France
On July 20th, Antoine Gerbelle, famous wine lover and taster for the very notorious French Magazine La Revue du Vin de France, came to Château Fonplegade to taste the 2008 and 2009 vintages of 66 classified growths of Saint Emilion. Final ratings 16/20 vintage 2008 and 16/20 vintage 2009.

JULY 2011 : JAZZ AND WINE AT CHATEAU FONPLEGADE
 

On July 7th 2011, Château Fonplégade hosted great artists such as Billy Hart, Glenn Ferris, Jean-Jacques Quesada etc…for the Jazz and Wine Festival.

We invite you to learn more about Château Fonplégade through our archive of current and past newsletters.

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